Beet-harvester.



T. B. PIKE.

BEET HARVESTER- APPLICATION man JULYZI. m4.

1,286,092. Patented Nov. 26,1918.

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T. B. PIKE.

BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULYZT. m4.

1 ,286,092. Patented NOV. 26, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T. B. PIKE.

BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY27. WM.

1 286,092. Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

THOMAS IB. PIKE, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO.

BEET-HARVESTER.

Application filed July 27, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. PIKE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beet-Harvesters, of which the following is a speci fication.

This invention relates to harvesters, and particularly to a machineknown as a beet harvester, the invention having for its object theprovision of novel means for excavating or dislodging beets from theearth, while, at the same time, guiding the beet tops to a carrier soarranged as to retain the beet tops while the carrier is moving, so thatthe beets are elevated a predetermined distance, the said inventionfurther including novel means for carrying the beets rearwardly andsubjecting the same to a knife to sever the tops from the beets,permitting the beets to fall into a chute for delivery to a conveyer bywhich the said beets are removed laterally and delivered to any properor convenient receptacle designed to contain them.

A further object of this invention is to provide traction wheels andmeans associated and cooperating therewith to drive the conveyers andoperative parts of the mechanism for accomplishing the results desired.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists inthe details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination ofparts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing'the invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings forming part of this specification, wherein likecharacters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in whichFigure 1 illustrates a view in side elevation of a beet harvesterembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates a top plan view;

Fig. 3 illustrates a sectional view on the line 3-3, of Fig. 1,-theconveyer being omitted to better illustrate parts which lie to the rearthereof;

Fig. 4 illustrates an enlarged detail view of a fragment of a conveyer;

Fig. 5 illustrates an end view of the fragment of the conveyer shown inFig. 4.

In these drawings 10 denotes the traction Wheels mounted on a shaft 11.The hubs 12 of the wheels have ratchet teeth 13 which engage the teeth14 on the collars 15 and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Serial No. 853,360.

each collar 15 is preferably splined on the shaft 11 and is held inengagement with the hub of the wheel by a spring 16, the said springbeing yieldable to permit disengagement of the ratchet teeth when themachine is backed or when either of the wheels is moved rearwardly.

The shaft 11 is mounted in the journal bearings 17 of the brackets 18and the said brackets serve as supports for the frame 19 which ispreferably of rectangular construction, as shown in Fig. 2 of thedrawing, the said frame terminating in the front end in a convergingextension 20 to which a tongue 21 is connected so that any appropriatedraft rigging may be utilized for drawing or propelling the machine. Thefront end of the frame is supported by a truck 22 which may be of anysuitable type. Near the front end of the frame is a post 22 from which apulley 23 depends and a cable or other flexible member 24: is run overthe said pulley and is connected to a beam 25, which beam has its rearend mounted on a pivot 26, and the pivot is supported by the brackets27. By reason of the construction just stated, the beam may be elevatedor lowered so that the plow 28, which is carried by the beam, may beallowed to descend a greater or less distance into the earth dependingupon the condition of the product to be harvested.

The front view of the device shows that the plow comprises two blades orshears spaced apart so that said blades are on opposite sides of thebeet and they operate in conjunction to dislodge the beet from theearth. Furthermore, the beams 25 carry the top guiding members 29 whichare spaced apart and so shaped as to guide the tops of the beets to aconveyer, to be presently described.

The forward conveyer to which the beet tops are delivered comprises twoconveyer belts or aprons 30 and 31 each of which has spurs or pins suchas 32 which stand out from the surfaces of the belts in positionsoblique to the direction of travel of the said belts and rearwardly sothat when the said spurs engage the beet tops, they serve to carry thesame rearwardly and there is little liability of disengagement ordislodgment of the said beet tops from the conveyer, especially so asthe spurs of one conveyer belt overlap or extend beyond the ends of thespurs of the other conveyer belt, as shown in Fig. 2.

As a means for supporting the conveyer belts, appropriate rollers 33land 34 are journaled in brackets at points slightly above the excavatorand the conveyer belt-s run over such rollers. Likewise, intermediatethe length of the frame, other rollers and 36 are supported for engagingthe said belts and the last mentioned rollers are rotated by theintermeshing gear wheels 37 and 38, the former of said gear wheels beingpositively driven through the medium of the gear wheel 39. As a meansfor communicating power to the gear wheel 39, it is in mesh With a wheel40 on a shaft 41, which shaft stands vertically and is supported in anyappropriate way with relation to the frame. The driven shaft 41,furthermore carries a gear wheel 42 meshing with a gear wheel 43 bywhich the rear conveyer is driven, the said rear conveyer havingconveyer belts 44 and 45 similar to the conveyer belts 30 and 31, thesaid conveyer belts 44 and 45 operating over rollers 46 and 47, aboutthe center of the frame and the rollers 48 and 49 at the rear of theframe. The conveyer belts 44 and 45 extend approximately horizontallyand are driven in unison by reason of the fact that the gear wheel 43meshes with a gear wheel 50 on shafts which turn the rollers 46 and 47thus the front and rear conveyers are driven from the same shaft whichderives its power in a manner to be presently explained.

The shaft 11 has a clutch 51, one member 52 of which is connected to androtates a gear wheel 53 which gear wheel in turn is in mesh with apinion 54 on the shaft 55, the said shaft being journaled in properbearings (not shown) and having at its for Ward end a beveled gear wheel56 meshing with a pinion 57 on the shaft 58, the said shaft 58 alsohaving a beveled gear wheel 59 meshing with the gear wheel 60 on theshaft 41 so that by the'train of gearing just described, the motion ofthe traction wheels is communicated to the conveyers since it has beendescribed that the shaft 41 is effeotive to operate both of theconveyers.

As a means for positively driving the conveyers which run over therollers, the upper marginal edges of the said conveyers are connected tosprocket chains 61, certain links of which chains have ears 62 connectedto the conveyer belts by fastenings 63 and the said sprocket chains 61mesh with sprocket wheels such as 64 which are on the shafts of therespective drums and rotate therewith. By reason of this arrangement theconveyer belts cannot sag or become dislodged or disengaged fromtherollers and the arrangement also insures a positive operation thereof.

Intermediate the length of the frame and under the horizontally disposedconveyer is a rotating knife 65 mounted on a vertically dis-posed shaft66, said shaft being j ournaled in bearings and having at its lower enda gear wheel 67 which is driven by a gear wheel 68 on the shaft 55. Theshaft 66 rotates in a sleeve 69 and is moved thereby in a verticaldirection to regulate the position of the knife with relation to theconveyer so that the beet tops may be cut at certain positions withrelation to the beets. As a means for adjusting the sleeve, the saidsleeve has transversely disposed pins 70 projectin through slots 71 ofthe bell crank lever 2, said bell crank lever being mounted on a pivot73 and being operated by a connection 74 leading to the lever or handle75, said lever being here shown as operating in conjunction with atoothed segment 76 by which the said handle may be held at diflerentpositions of adjustment by known means. The operator occupying the seat7 7 may, therefore, manipulate the lever and so change the position ofthe knife as to ause it to cut the tops of the beets'without marring ordamaging the beets themselves or allowing too great a length of the topsto remain on the beets.

The clutch 51 may be drawn into and out of action by the lever 51 butthe construction of the clutch is immaterial, as a clutch of any knownconstruction may be employed at this point.

The flexible connection 24 which is designed for the purpose ofoperating the beam 25 extends rearwardly and is connected to a lever 24within reach of the operator occupying the seat 77, thereby makingitpossible for the operator to manipulate the several parts of the machinefor increasing its efliciency, according to known conditions.

It is the purpose of the inventor to provide means for collecting thebeets which have been severed from the tops and to that end a collectinghopper or receptacle 86 is situated under the forward edge of the knifeso that beets which have been severed from their tops may fall into thecollector 86.

In the operation of the beet harvester, it will be apparent that theexcavator or plow may be caused to dislodge the beets from the earthwhile at the same time the tops of said beets will be guided toward theinclined conveyer and the teeth or spurs of the conveyer belts willpenetrate the beet tops and carry them to the horizontally disposedconveyer and the beet tops will be carried rearwardly and deposited inthe hopper. During the travel of the conveyers carrying the beets, theknife which is in the path of travel of the beets may be lowered orelevated to effect a severance of the tops just above the beets so thatthe beets will fall into the receptacle and be conveyed laterally in themanner stated. 7

The means for manipulating the plow beam and knife have been describedand need not be here reviewed. It is also believed that the manner oftransmitting power from the traction wheels to the knife and to theconveyers has been sufliciently described to enable one skilled in theart to practice the invention by reference to this specification, andthe detailed operation of the several parts which follows a descriptionof their construction and arrangement is believed to be suflicientwithout further rsum.

I claim In a beet harvester, the combination of a frame, wheels forsupporting the frame, means adjacent the forward end of the frame fordislodging the beets, means for guiding the beets, inclined conveyerbelts having their forward ends in close proximity to the dislodgingmeans, parallel belts operating in a horizontal plane adapted to receivethe beets as they pass from the inclined conveyer, means for operatingthe belt members, a rotary knife mounted intermediate the length of theframe and under the horizontally disposed conveyor, and means foradjusting the knife whereby the beets will be properly topped.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS B. PIKE. Witnesses:

J No. W. LOOKIN, GRACE PIKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patentl, Washington, D. 0.

